


Beach Boys

by skullpen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, abusive partents, merHanamaki, merOikawa, mermaid au, merperson au, nonbinary Hanamaki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 22:41:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7287580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skullpen/pseuds/skullpen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iwaizumi takes his new friend Matsukawa to a hidden beach to show him a secret he's kept since he was a kid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. His Secret

Matsukawa had only just moved to this small foreign town practically in the middle of nowhere. He had moved in the middle of his first year of high school, right as summer break started. That left him the whole break to bum around alone. Then he met Iwaizumi. He was rather easy to befriend and they ended up hanging out a lot.

Today, Iwaizumi had told him that he wanted to show him a secret. Matsukawa had expected something along the lines of a dirty magazine hidden under a mattress, not a mile long hike through a humid rainforest.

“Iwaizumi, how much longer? We’ve been walking for hours.” Matsukawa complained as he followed his new friend through a makeshift path in the rainforest.

“We’re almost there.” The shorter boy grunted. Matsukawa just groaned at him. A couple minutes later, they stepped out onto a beach. It wasn’t big, but there was a cabin off to one side. It looked deserted. There were no other roads or paths down this beach. Large rocks and more forest cut it off from everything else. _What would Iwaizumi be hiding on this hidden beach?_ Matsukawa thought.

“Is this it?” Matsukawa wasn’t impressed. But based on his earlier prediction, he hadn’t been expecting much from a guy like Iwaizumi.

“Nope. One moment.” Iwaizumi scanned the beach. Laying on the beach was a sink toy, usually used for pools, covered in clear reflective beads. He picked it up. Matsukawa only had a moment to wonder why something like that was here, when Iwaizumi chucked it far off into the ocean.

“What? Why’d you do that?” Asked a very confused Matsukawa.

The shorter tanned boy pulled off his shirt and kicked off his sandals, setting them off to the side. “Just wait, you’ll see in a moment.” Iwaizumi said calmly as he walked down to the water, wading in up to his knees. Matsukawa followed suit, taking off his sandals and top and walking down into the water, keeping an eye on where he was stepping.

A voice suddenly rang out. “Iwa-chan!” Matsukawa jumped at the voice and looked out. There was a head and an excitedly waving arm way out in the ocean. Now he was even more confused, and looked to Iwaizumi, only to find him smiling fondly.

When he looked back, the person was gone. “What?” he asked, stepping up next to Iwaizumi. The water not quite reaching his knees compared to the shorter boy. His question was left unanswered as the person popped back up, much closer. Iwaizumi waded further out.

“Iwa-chan, I’ve missed you!” The mysterious brown haired boy yelled, before disappearing underwater again. Matsukawa cautiously followed Iwaizumi, unsure what to think about the events happening. The shorter boy had waded out until the water was up to his chest, Matsukawa stayed where it was around his bellybutton. There was a dark spot in the water moving very fast, headed straight towards them.

“Iwaizumi, look out!” Matsukawa called a little too late, as the thing collided with Iwaizumi, knocking him down into the water. Even though the water was relatively clear, Matsukawa could barely make out Iwaizumi headbutting a brown haired boy(?) and him retreating a bit.

“Don’t do that, Shittykawa!” Iwaizumi scolded when he resurfaced along with the boy(?) who was holding his nose scowling. Matsukawa was taken aback by how the other boy looked. He had long webby ears half hidden by the styled brown hair and a particular blue shine on his pale skin, that Matsukawa had only seen on fish.

“But I missed you! You haven’t visited in aaaages.” The boy whined, latching himself onto a very annoyed Iwaizumi. That’s when the strange boy noticed Matsukawa fully. They both stared at each other for a second. Then the boy pulled away from Iwaizumi looking hurt.

“Who’s this!? I thought we promised to keep this secret between us only!” His voice was shrill.

Iwaizumi looked back to Matsukawa, as if just remembering he was there. “Oh, this is Matsukawa, we can trust him.”

“How do you know that?” The weird looking boy glared at Matsukawa and lowered himself in the water like he was pouting.

“He’s chill. No way he’d tell anyone about this.” Iwaizumi walked to a point halfway between both of them. “Matsukawa, this is Oikawa.” Matsukawa was surprised his new friend put so much trust into him despite only having met less than a month ago.

“Pleasure to met you.” the Oikawa boy growled, moving to hide behind Iwaizumi. Matsukawa wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not, but the other boy looked like he had pointed teeth. He turned to Iwaizumi.

“Uh. I’m still not completely sure what ‘this’ is.” He gestured vaguely at the beach and Oikawa.

“Oh, Oikawa is a mermaid, er, man.” Iwaizumi said like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Iwa-chan! You should’ve at least let him figure it out himself.” Oikawa pouted again.

Matsukawa gaped at them both. _A mermaid... man? I didn’t know those existed. Does that mean other mythical things exist too? Wait, I’m getting off track. This guy is a merman!_

“Uh, can I, um, well, see your tail?” Matsukawa stumbled over words. _Was that the wrong thing to say? I hope I’m not being rude_. He jumped when the tail fin appeared out of the water in front of him. The fin and most of the tail was a light greenish-blue color. That would explain why he hadn’t been able to see it clearly earlier, it practically matched the water.

“No touching!” Oikawa snapped as Matsukawa began to reach out a hand. He flipped his fin down, splashing Matsukawa.

“Don’t be rude.” Iwaizumi scolded, hitting Oikawa on the back of the head.

Oikawa turned back to Iwaizumi pouting. “Iwa-chan,” he whined, “why do you get to bring a friend and I don’t? That’s not fair!” Iwaizumi’s heavy sigh made Matsukawa wonder how the two even became friends in the first place.

“Fine, tomorrow you can bring one of your friends along.”

“Tomorrow? We can see each other tomorrow?” Oikawa perked up like a puppy. Matsukawa stifled a laugh.

The tan boy rolled his eyes. “Yes, tomorrow, because we have to go back home now. Tomorrow we can stay longer.”

“You have to leave already? But you just got here!” The merman whined.

“I wanted to show you to Matsukawa today, tomorrow you guys can get to know each other better.”

Oikawa huffed, “I’m not a pet to show off to others.”

“I know, you’re my best friend.” Iwaizumi smiled and ruffled the pale boy’s hair. Oikawa grumbled something incoherently and sunk down until the water was up to his nose. “We have to go now, see ya tomorrow.”

“See ya.” Oikawa said slowly backing away back into the open ocean. Iwaizumi turned and walked towards the shore, Matsukawa close behind. Something sailed over their heads and landed on the beach. It was the sink toy Iwaizumi had throw into the ocean earlier. Matsukawa looked back to see a splash of a blue-green tail disappear into the ocean.

Once back on the beach Matsukawa spoke. “Well… That was sure… something.”

They pulled their shirts on and slipped back into their sandals. “I think that went really well.”

Iwaizumi started back into the rainforest. “Well? Dude, that guy did not seem to like me.”

“If he really didn’t like you, then he would’ve tried to eat you. Oikawa was just acting childish.”

Matsukawa gulped loudly. “I’d hate to see what he’s like when angry.”

“He’s not too bad.” Iwaizumi smiled. A pause as Matsukawa tried to figure out why Iwaizumi even liked the merman.

“How do you two know each other?”

Iwaizumi frowned. “Umm, we met as kids, I don’t remember how. We’ve just always been friends.”

Typical, Matsukawa never got a good story from his new friend, only vague details. He switched his line of questioning. “Is there anything I should know about mer...people before I make a fool of myself tomorrow?”

“So you are coming tomorrow too?”

“Duh. Dude, I just learned merpeople exist. They aren’t fictitious beast or tall tales. I wanna learn more about them. Or course I’ll be coming tomorrow.”

“Ah, of course. Well…” Iwaizumi thought for a moment. “They are very vain so don’t diss their looks. And giving compliments are a guarantee to win them over……… Oh! No touching their fins. Oikawa told me their fins are very delicate and can rip, so don’t do that……. That’s all I know for merpeople in general.”

Matsukawa nodded. “Got it, butter ‘em up and no fin feeling.” He earned a snort out of his shorter friend for that comment. They walked the rest of the way back in relative silence. Even though Matsukawa was burning with questions, he didn’t think Iwaizumi could answer them. So he would wait to ask the actual merpeople tomorrow.

Before they split ways, Matsukawa asked one last question. “Do you know who Oikawa will bring tomorrow?”

Iwaizumi shrugged. “No idea. He has never introduced me to anyone else before.”

“...Well, see ya tomorrow.”

“Later.”

They walked towards their houses. Matsukawa couldn’t wait for tomorrow. It was all he could think about for the rest of the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was just the beginning of my merperson au  
> I don't know how long I intend to make this but it will definitely lead somewhere...


	2. Hanging Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matsukawa and Iwaizumi meet Oikawa's friend and they spend the day becoming acquainted with each other.

Matsukawa was a slow riser, so he was not ready when Iwaizumi barged into his room, demanding him to get up.

“Wha? Iwa….wha time is it?” Matsukawa yawned, voice trailing off as he sat up.

Iwaizumi threw some clothes at him. “It’s after eight, put your clothes on. I’ll grab us lunch.” With that he left. Matsukawa blinked down at the clothes on his lap, swimming trunks and a t-shirt. Something in his groggy mind finally clicked. _Oh, right. Meet merpeople….. But damn Iwaizumi, why so early? I need my sleep._

Reluctantly Matsukawa put on the clothes and sleepily wandered to the bathroom. When he came out Iwaizumi was waiting for him, backpack already shouldered.

“Are you ready?”

“Dude, relax, I need to eat something first.” Matsukawa headed towards the kitchen, only to be blocked by the shorter boy. A banana and granola bar where shoved into his hands as Iwaizumi redirected him to the front door. “Seriously man?”

“Just get your shoes on and let’s go.”

 _It’s too early for this_. Matsukawa thought, slipping on his sandals while peeling the banana. He ate slowly as they walked, Iwaizumi seeming to keep a faster pace than normal. Once he had finished his ‘breakfast’, Matsukawa felt more awake and aware.

“Why’d we have to leave so early?”

Iwaizumi passed him back a bottle of sunscreen. He applied it while they walked.“So we can have as much time as possible to talk with them. You have questions, don’t you?”

Matsukawa felt that it was Iwaizumi who wanted more time to talk. “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll need an entire day.” There was only a grunt for a response. They walked in silence for a while before he threw out his next remark. “You seem very eager to get there.”

Iwaizumi didn’t respond immediately. “I haven’t seen my best friend for a while, of course I’m eager to get to hang out with him.”

Maybe there was something more than just that going on, but Matsukawa wasn’t one to pry, so he left it alone. “What’s in the backpack?”

“Lunches, towels, goggles, and some things for Oikawa.”

“Oh? What kind of things?”

“He really likes gossip magazines.” Iwaizumi snorted while saying. Matsukawa laughed.

“How did he get into those?”

“Apparently he found one that had fallen into the ocean, read it, and asked me to bring him more.”

“And you are?”

“Doesn’t hurt, and I can get them free out of my neighbor’s recycle bin.”

“You little thief.” Iwaizumi shrugged as they finally reached the beach.

Just like yesterday, they kicked off their shoes and stripped out of their shirts. Iwaizumi threw the sink toy just as far as last time. They left the backpack in the shade of the forest and walked down into the water.

“Whose idea was the toy?

“Oikawa’s. I brung it so we could play with it, he came up with using it as a signal.” A yell interrupted Matsukawa before he could say anything more.

“Iwa-chan!”

They looked out and saw Oikawa’s head far off, he was waving at them excitedly. Barely visible next to him was another head. It was only noticeable due to the merperson’s hair being pink, which contrasted sharply against the blue sky and ocean. Both head’s disappeared underwater. The boys waded until they were about chest deep, waiting for the merpeople to arrive.

“How does he see it? Or know when it will come? What if he misses it?”

“I’m not sure how he does it, but there have been a few times he missed it.”

“What do you do when that happens?”

“Well, it's a beach, I swim obviously.”

Matsukawa huffed. “Obviously.” He mumbled under his breath. Oikawa’s head popped up in front of them, causing Matsukawa to jump out of surprise.

“Hello Iwa-chan. Hello Mattsun.” The merboy said cheerily.

“Mattsun?” Matsukawa questioned.

“It’s easier to say. Less of a mouthful.” Oikawa smiled, clearly proud of the nickname he had come up with. _He sure warms up quickly_. Matsukawa thought, remembering how the merboy was yesterday.

A pink figure swam up to them behind Oikawa and the head with short pink hair broke the surface of the water, but didn’t rise up past their nose. Their beady eyes looked at the other three suspiciously until Oikawa grabbed them, and forcefully raised them out of the water.

“This is Makki. Makki, this is Iwa-chan and Mattsun.” Makki had the same sort of webbed ears and scaly shine as Oikawa, but instead of it being a bluish hue, it was pink. The pink was more vibrant than their hair color but the two complemented nicely. Makki’s human body was slightly longer and wider than Oikawa’s but both of them were slim and lean compared to the humans. _Are all merpeople this attractive?_ Thought Matsukawa, as Makki nodded at the two boys before hitting Oikawa.

“It’s Hanamaki actually, now let me go.” They were released and sunk back down up to their nose again

“Sorry that they aren’t being friendly today.” Oikawa apologized on Hanamaki’s behalf, the other boys waved it off as no big deal. Now that introductions were over Oikawa turned on Iwaizumi.

“Iwa-chan, you were so rude yesterday! Showing up only to say hi, then leaving a couple of minutes later. After being gone so long, I would’ve thought you’d want to talk to me more. But no. You made me wait an entire day!” The merboy whined, overly dramatic.

“Sorry my life doesn’t revolve around you. Although you shouldn’t complain, I made sure we have the entire day today to hang out.”

“That’s still no way to treat royalty!”

“Royal my ass. You can’t order me around, I’m not part of your kingdom.” Iwaizumi joked.

Matsukawa’s eyes widened and he turned to Hanamaki, who looked away from him quickly, as if he had been staring. “Is he really royalty?” Hanamaki’s mouth moved underwater and Matsukawa only heard mumbling. “Dude, I can’t hear you.” Hanamaki’s cheeks flushed as he rose his head out of the water.

“Sorry. Oikawa is actual royalty. Couldn’t you tell by his snobby attitude?”

Matsukawa snorted. “Yeah, I suppose you are right.” There was silence between them as they listened to Oikawa and Iwaizumi banter about human and merpeople laws. It didn’t hold the tall boy’s interest and he snuck a glance at Hanamaki. They had sunk back down in the water.

“So… uh, if Oikawa is royalty, how do you know him?” Hanamaki started talking underwater again, so Matsukawa nudged their arm. “Above water please?”

Hanamaki jumped and blushed with embarrassment, arising out of the water once more. “Sorry.” They paused. “Oikawa is sort of like a prince. And I’m sort of like a noble. Since we are almost of age to decide rulings, they make us attend political meetings. We met, decided we didn’t want to be there, and would ditch.”

“Don’t you get in trouble for that?”

“Sometimes.”

“Are you ditching a meeting right now?”

Hanamaki gave him a sly smile. “Maybe.”

Matsukawa swore his heart skipped a beat. “Uh, so you ditched to come see us?”

“Oikawa said he wanted me to meet some friends. I thought he was going to take me to see some dolphins.”

“Dolphins?”

Hanamaki lowered their voice. “He thinks they can communicate with things in outer space.” Matsukawa couldn’t help but laugh. A bit too loudly that the other two turned to look at both of them.

“Hey, what’s so funny?” Oikawa asked, wanting to be included in the fun.

Hanamaki answered first. “We were laughing at your dumb face.” _Wait, aren’t you not suppose to insult merpeople?_ Matsukawa thought.

“Makki, that’s rude!” Oikawa’s tail splashed water at Hanamaki. They ducked underwater while Matsukawa received a face full of water. Oikawa immediately apologized. “I’m sorry Mattsun! They weren’t suppose to dodge.”

The tall boy rubbed the water from his eyes. “It’s fine. A little water never hurt anyone. Besides everyone always tells me I’m dripping with good looks.”

“Oooh, Mattsun so smooth.” Oikawa said as Hanamaki resurfaced.

Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes slightly. “Isn’t that from a movie or something?”

“Wait, what did I miss?” Hanamaki asked.

“Mattsun said a cool line.” The other merperson answered.

“It wasn’t that cool.” Matsukawa scratched the back of his neck.

“Sure it was. Say it again.”

Hanamaki interjected, “You think anything is cool, Oikawa.”

“Rude!” Oikawa splashed them again. This time Matsukawa copied Hanamaki and ducked underwater. They surfaced to hear Iwaizumi scolding Oikawa.

Matsukawa laughed and was about to say something, when his stomach growled. It wasn’t loud enough that the others heard, but it reminded him of the inadequate breakfast he had. How long had they been out here anyways. He looked at sky, noting the sun was practically above them already. Reaching out his foot, he nudged Iwaizumi’s leg.

“Hey, when are we going to eat? I’m getting hungry.” Apparently his hunger applied to all of them.

“We should probably eat as well.” Hanamaki said turning to head back to the open ocean.

Oikawa caught Hanamaki by the arm before they could get very far. “Wait Makki. Don’t you want to try human food?”

Iwaizumi spoke up before Hanamaki could respond. “Who said we were going to give you any food?”

“But you always bring me food.” Oikawa whined.

“If we have any leftover I’ll give you some, but you need to go eat something else too.” Iwaizumi said rolling his eyes.

The merboy may had grumbled out a ‘fine’ but he looked happy about the compromise. The two merpeople disappeared into the ocean as the boys walked back to the beach.

“You feed him human food all the time, don’t you?” Matsukawa chirped, smirk on his face.

The shorter boy punched his arm playfully. “Shut up.”

They dried off and sat in the shade by the forest. When he pulled out the lunch boxes, he noticed there was an extra one. _You even packed him a lunch too. You’re too nice, Iwaizumi._

Then Matsukawa opened his own lunch and immediately recognized last night's leftovers. “Wait a minute. You packed lunches with my food?”

Iwaizumi was already halfway finished eating his own lunch. “Your food tastes better.” He said after swallowing.

“Thanks, but you should ask next time.” He huffed, digging into his own lunch.

“Sorry, I will.” They ate all of their food, not leaving behind any leftovers. Iwaizumi pulled out the extra box and mixed the contents around so it didn’t look so put together. The taller boy watched him with amusement and took out the sunscreen. He reapplied it so that he wouldn’t have to deal with a sunburn and passed it onto the other boy who followed suit.

“How long does it take for the merpeople to eat?” Matsukawa asked.

“Well, they have to hunt and kill their food first.”

“You can stop right there. Forget I asked.”

Iwaizumi laughed. “Are you squeamish, Matsukawa?”

“I may like meat, but I don’t need to know the gory process that happens beforehand.” He gave Iwaizumi a pointed look and noticed the abandoned looking cabin on the other end of the beach. He took the opportunity to change the topic. “What’s with that cabin?”

Iwaizumi looked over his shoulder and smirked. “It’s said that the man who built it couldn’t find his way back to town so he starved to death. Now his ghost haunts the cabin killing anyone who goes in and eats them.” He said in a haunting tone.

Matsukawa felt a shiver go up his spine and shoving Iwaizumi on the shoulder. “Don’t do that man. You obviously made that up.”

The shorter boy laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know why it’s here. It was here before I found the beach, completely abandoned. I use it to store stuff.”

“You use it?”

“Yeah, It’s not too run down. And has electricity.” Matsukawa nodded and was about to ask if he could check it out when a familiar yell sounded out.

“Iwa-chan! Do you have any leftovers?” Iwaizumi held up the lunch box and Oikawa cheered.

The boys waded back into the water to meet the other two. They stopped where the water came to their stomachs. The merpeople swam up to them. Before Oikawa could grab the box, Iwaizumi pulled it away. “Make sure to share with Hanamaki.”

“It’s fine, I don’t need any.” Hanamaki said, relaxing low in the water as usual.

Matsukawa pretended to be offended. “I’m hurt that you don’t want to try any of my great cooking.”

“Maybe just a little bit then.” They rolled their eyes and went to grab some of the food with their slightly webbed hand. Oikawa smacked it away.

“You got to use chopsticks.”

“Chopsticks?” The merperson questioned as Iwaizumi procured some for Oikawa. The merboy took them and wielded them skillfully as he ate a few bites.

“Mmmm, Mattsun, this is really good!” Iwaizumi had to stop him from eating all of it, taking away the chopsticks and offering them to Hanamaki.

“I, uh, don’t know how to use those.” They said, a bit embarrassed. Oikawa stole the chopsticks and gathered a bite.

He held it up for Hanamaki. “Here.” They ate it off the chopsticks, eyes lighting up as they chewed.

“That’s really good, give me some more.” They said after swallowing. Oikawa alternated bites between him and Hanamaki, then Iwaizumi took the box and chopsticks back to the backpack. “Are you coming by again tomorrow?” Hanamaki asked grabbing onto Matsukawa’s arm.

“Uh, maybe?”

“If you do, can you bring us more food?”

 _Damn, they look so happy._ “Sure, I’ll see if I can.” Matsukawa knew he couldn’t bring himself to turn them down. Both merpeople cheered and Iwaizumi had returned, with goggles. He gave one to Matsukawa.

“What are we doing now?” The tall boy asked.

“We are going to swim.” Iwaizumi put on the goggles and dove underwater, kicking out deeper into the ocean. Oikawa followed, tail flipping out of the water as he dove. Matsukawa put on the goggles and Hanamaki snorted.

“You look ridiculous.”

“And here I thought I was wearing these to see underwater.” Matsukawa joked before diving to follow the others. He looked ahead and saw Oikawa practically swimming circles around Iwaizumi, and Iwaizumi swam pretty fast. Then he saw a streak of pink as Hanamaki swam past him.

This was the first time he had seen the merpeople’s full body clearly. If he wasn’t underwater, he was sure his mouth would have dropped open. They were beautiful. Their tails long and shone when the sunlight hit it. The water scattered the light so that it danced over their scales. Long and flowy fins waved around them like expensive silk. They moved so effortlessly in the water it took Matsukawa’s breath away so much he had to surface for air. With his large strokes and power he was able to catch up with the rest of them. The merpeople swam ahead of them. From the way they moved their arms, Matsukawa assumed they were talking to each other but their voices were muffled and distorted by the water that he couldn’t understand. When Hanamaki glanced back and smiled at him, he felt his face heat up as he smiled back.

They ended up swimming out to an area that raised back up closer to the surface covered with coral. It felt like they had swam for a long time, but when Matsukawa looked back, they seemed pretty close to the beach still. They didn’t go any farther and instead milled around the outcrop, swimming along the coral. Iwaizumi was dragged by Oikawa around the coral, the merboy close enough when talking that Iwaizumi could make out what he was saying. Matsukawa explored with Hanamaki trailing behind him, occasionally pointing out and talking about the sea life.

“Matsukawa look.” They said, voice distorted underwater, as they gently touching his arm to get his attention. He let his gaze linger on Hanamaki before looking where the merperson was pointing. Farther away from them in the open ocean was a group of sea turtles. They waved at the other two to look and all four of them watched the bale disappear. They continued to swim for a while as the sun made it way down in the sky.

Iwaizumi was the one who decided that they should stop and they swam back towards the beach. At the edge of the water, Iwaizumi sat down to rest. Matsukawa sat down beside him. He was surprised when Oikawa half beached himself right up next to Iwaizumi. Because the other boy didn’t bat an eye, he figured it must happen regularly. Oikawa rested on his stomach, propping himself up on his elbow.

“Iwa-chan, did you bring any magazines for me today.”

“Yeah. Wait here a moment.” Iwaizumi stood and went to fetch them.

“It’s not like I can follow you.” Oikawa joked, making Matsukawa snort. When he looked back into the ocean he saw Hanamaki swimming nervously in the shallow water.

“Hey, Hanamaki, what’s wrong?” He asked unsure why the other merperson wasn’t joining them. His voice grabbed Oikawa’s attention as well.

“Are we safe that far out of the water? What if we get stuck?”

“It’s okay Makki. The tide is rising so we won’t get stuck.” Only slightly comforted, Hanamaki inched closer, not venturing as far as their friend. They pulled up on the other side of Matsukawa looking uncomfortable so far out of the water, but didn’t complain.

Iwaizumi returned holding three different magazines. One was a gossip magazine, another an entertainment magazine, and the last one was a sports. Matsukawa figured the sports one was more for Iwaizumi than Oikawa. Settling down in the same spot, he presented the magazines for Oikawa to choose. The merboy picked the gossip magazine first, holding it up so the water wouldn’t hit it.

“What are those?” Hanamaki asked, maneuvering their way closer to Oikawa.

“They’re magazines! They have all sorts of information on human life.” Oikawa said excitedly.

“Why would you want to read ‘bout that?”

“Makki, don’t be ignorant, it’s fun to learn about other species way of life. Why don’t you read one?”

“Uh, sure. I guess.” Iwaizumi handed the entertainment magazine to them, while keeping the sports one to read. Matsukawa was reading it over his shoulder when Hanamaki poked his leg and turned the magazine around.

“Can humans really fly?” They were pointing at a picture of Superman.

Oikawa butted in before Matsukawa could answer. “Don’t be silly Makki, of course they can’t fly.” He turned to the boys. “Right?”

They both nodded but Hanamaki only looked more confused. “Then what is this?” They flipped the magazine back around, rereading the blurb.

“It should be a summary for a movie.” Iwaizumi suggested.

“A movie?”

“Uh. Like a story that you can see or watch. Like a book that is acted out. Does that make sense?” Matsukawa tried to explain.

“So like a play?”

“Sort of.” Matsukawa didn’t want to attempt explaining how a tv worked so left it at that.

Oikawa leaned over and whispered loudly. “Iwaizumi has never showed me a movie yet, so don’t feel too left out.”

“You’ve never shown Oikawa a movie?” Matsukawa asked in disbelief.

Iwaizumi glared at him. “Do you think I’d be able to get a tv all the way out here and set it up enough to be showing him movies?”

Truth rang in Iwaizumi’s words. He turned to the merpeople. “If Iwaizumi can’t, I’ll show you a movie. You just have to tell me what you want to see.”

Oikawa’s face lit up. “Really?!” Hanamaki huffed a laugh, not understanding the excitement, but happy anyways.

“Cross my heart.” Matsukawa said, drawing an ‘x’ on his chest.

They kept reading magazines and Hanamaki asked a lot of questions about the movies. Matsukawa ended up answering most of their questions, with little help from the other two. Oikawa forced Iwaizumi to switch magazines with him when he finished reading his.

The tide rose as time passed and even though they hadn’t moved an inch, the water reached up to the boy’s chests where they sat. The merpeople holding the magazines carefully above the water. Oikawa looked like he was sitting the way his tail bent, as he hovered next to Iwaizumi. The merboy was currently trying to get his best friend to take one of the silly quizzes in the magazine to know what kind of dessert he was. Hanamaki was floating on their back, tail dipped into the sand bed, anchoring them near the group so they could ask questions. The sun was sinking low into the horizon.

“Matsukawa, it’s probably time we head back.” Iwaizumi said as he plucked the magazine out of Oikawa’s hands.

“So soon?” Oikawa whined.

Iwaizumi gave the merboy an ‘are-you-kidding-me’ look. “We’ve been here all day, Oikawa.”

“I was kidding!” He said giving a small splash with his tail. “Are you coming back tomorrow?”

Hanamaki handed their magazine back as Matsukawa stood up too. “Maybe. If we do it won’t be as early as today.” Iwaizumi straightened the magazines in his hands.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” Oikawa smiled. Iwaizumi reached down and ruffled his hair.

“Yeah, see ya tomorrow.” Oikawa looked pleased at the attention. Hanamaki looked surprised, but didn’t say anything.

Matuskawa and Hanamaki nodded a goodbye at each other and the group split. Matsukawa watched as the merpeople’s tails splashed upwards as they dove underwater. Iwaizumi packed up the bag as they dried off.

Just as they were leaving, Matsukawa heard a soft thud and saw the sink toy glittering in the evening sun, back where it had been before. He smiled and followed Iwaizumi into the rainforest. The sky was a dull red when they reached Matsukawa’s house.

His mother was angry at how late he was, mostly due to the fact that he was suppose to have dinner ready by now. All her complaining went away once he set dinner in front of her and she praised his cooking. Iwaizumi stayed to eat with them but left not long after. _They only love me for my food_. He humored himself.

As Matsukawa ended his day, he wondered what tomorrow would hold. It wasn’t until he was about to fall asleep, he realized he never got to ask any of his questions from yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to get this done as quick as possible because I really wanted to introduce Hanamaki! Thank you for waiting!  
> I have some more ideas for future chapters, but it's probably going to take longer to figure out the order. Sorry in advance if it takes a long time!


	3. Matsukawa asks too many questions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matsukawa finally gets to ask his questions.

Matsukawa was glad he was able to sleep in. He woke up slowly, sitting up and staring at the wall for a couple of minutes while he waited for his brain to catch up. After that he pulled on some sweats and went to the bathroom. 

The house was quiet, his mother at work. In the kitchen the clock read 11:13am. He looked in the fridge and started to pull out food to make some lunch. A knock at the front door interrupted him. When he answered, there was Iwaizumi, backpack shouldered.

Matsukawa skipped the greeting. “I was about to make some lunch.”

“Can you make me some too?” Iwaizumi asked, stepping inside, not waiting to be invited in.

“Goddamn mooch.” Matsukawa closed the door and they went to the kitchen. He started to reassess what to make. His train of thought broken by Iwaizumi again.

“Don’t forget, the merpeople wanted food too.”

Matsukawa groaned. _Oh yeah, looks like I’m making a large meal._ He thought. The shorter boy watched him move around in the kitchen with vague interest. There was a lot of dicing and some cooking. When he was done, Matsukawa portioned half of the food onto two plates. Iwaizumi waited patiently at the table as the other boy grabbed some drinks to go along with the meal. They didn’t talk much as they ate, mostly because Iwaizumi was shoveling down his food. _He acts like he’s been starving for day…_

It was only after Iwaizumi was done, Matsukawa started talking to him. “What’s the plan for today?”

Iwaizumi gulped down the rest of his drink. “Go and hangout again?” He replied, wiping his mouth with his arm. He was done but Matsukawa still had half a plate left.

“You don’t put much forethought into this do you?” Iwaizumi rose to clean his dishes.

“Nah. I let Oikawa come up with the activities, since they have to be water based.” Iwaizumi said, as he started to divide the rest of the food into two lunch boxes.

“Makes sense.” Iwaizumi took the lunches and put them in his backpack, then returned to sit at the table while Matsukawa finished eating. Before he could take his dirty dishes to the sink, Iwaizumi took them from him.

“Go change, I’ll clean these.” Matsukawa did as he was told but it took a bit of effort not to call Iwaizumi out on his momish behavior. There had been one time he did and had received a bruise on his shoulder for it. It didn’t take long after that for them to be ready. Today Matsukawa was definitely going to ask his burning questions.

After a rather quiet walk through the forest, they arrived at the beach. They threw the toy and a couple of minutes later they heard the loud yell of “Iwa-chan!”

The merpeople soon popped up next to where they stood in the water. They boys had carried the lunches down with them and Oikawa greedily tried to take his from Iwaizumi. He received a headbutt and had his lunch withheld until he asked nicely.

“Please Iwaizumi? Pretty please can I have it now?” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and gave him the food, which Oikawa immediately dug into.

Hanamaki was a bit reluctant to take their food from Matsukawa. “I still don’t know how to use chopsticks properly.” They mumbled.

“Well you won’t get any better if you don’t try.” Hanamaki took the chopsticks. “Hold your hand under so if you drop anything you can catch it.” The merperson only nodded as they attempted to grab a bite, while Matsukawa held the box. It took a couple of tries before they had a solid hold, but they dropped it on the way to their mouth. They caught it and ate it out of their hand, smiling at the taste. After eating two more dropped bites out of their hand, Matsukawa spoke up.

“Do you need any help?”

“...Mabye.” Hanamaki blushed as they handed over the chopsticks. Matsukawa fed them until everything was gone. _This may have to be the weirdest thing I’ve ever done. But I don’t mind it._ He could feel a slight blush raise to his cheeks.

“It’s very good.” Hanamaki said before sinking into the water like they were trying to hide.

Oikawa slung an arm around their neck. “Don’t be embarrassed Makki. Iwa-chan had to do that for me before I got the hang of it.” Hanamaki must have jabbed Oikawa because the merboy jumped away with a yelp.

This time Matsukawa took the boxes back to the beach. When he returned Oikawa and Iwaizumi were arguing about something, so he turned to Hanamaki.

“Hey, so, I have some questions. I forgot to ask you two about it yesterday, but do you think you could tell me more about your life, or, well, how it is to be a merperson?” He started.

Hanamki brought their head up to talk. “I can’t promise to be able to answer every question, but sure ask away.” They threw Oikawa and Iwaizumi a side glance. “I don’t think Oikawa will be much help though.”

As if on cue, Oikawa turned to them. “I wanna show Iwa-chan that place I found yesterday. Makki, do you want to come along with Mattsun?”

“It’s fine, Matsukawa has questions. You two can go.” Hanamaki said, waving them off. Iwaizumi barely had time to put his goggles on before Oikawa pulled him underwater and away. That left the other two standing there.

Hanamaki broke the silence. “Well?”

“Oh, sorry, uh, you said that Oikawa was a prince. Does that mean he’s going to be the king of wherever you two are from? Wait, where exactly do you live?”

“Woah, one question at a time.” Hanamaki huffed, amused at Matsukawa’s eagerness. “The kingdom isn’t too far from here, it starts not too far from the first drop off.”

“And what about Oikawa?” Matsukawa wandered up to the beach to sit down in the water. Hanamaki trailing behind him.

“He may be a prince , but won’t be the king. He has too many older siblings that would rule before he does.

“How many siblings?”

“Six. He’s the Queen’s seventh child.”

“Oh wow, So the oldest becomes the next in line to rule?”

“Yup, but that won’t happen for a while. The Queen still has 100 more years she’s expected to live.”

“100! How long do merpeople live?”

“If we are lucky to die of old age, then about 400 years. Most die in battle, though.”

“Is there a war going on or something?

“Not at the moment, but a lot of battles happen within the kingdom.”

“What are the battles over?”

“Usually for territory.”

“You’d battle over pieces of land?”

“Sort of. But it’s also a pride thing. So others will attack as an insult.”

“That’s really intense…”

Matsukawa continued to ask questions and learned that merpeople catch their own food and use the bones for weapons and jewelry. They don’t actually wear clothes, only the jewelry. They don’t keep pets. They are light sleepers and don’t have bedrooms. They do have sports but it’s more fighting and some racing. They keep history by music and plays. Their written language is very different and not used much. The more vibrant a merperson’s color is, the more likely they are of a higher class. They heal rather slowly. Merpeople can change their gender at will. Matsukawa was about to ask if babies came out in eggs or fully developed when Hanamaki stopped him.

“You ask so many questions, do I get some sort of reward for doing this?”

“I could make you more food?”

Hanamaki nodded. “That would be sufficient.”

“Hey wait, yesterday you asked just as many questions, shouldn’t I get a reward from you?”

“Uh, I’m not sure what I could give you, what do you want?”

“Maybe you could show me some of the stuff you like to collect?”

“That’s fine.” Hanamaki said.

It was then that Oikawa and Iwaizumi returned from their adventure. Iwaizumi looked very red in the face, while Oikawa looked as cheery as usual.

“Did you challenge a merperson to see who can hold their breath underwater the longest? Because you look very red.” Matsukawa commented, smirking.

“Something like that.” Iwaizumi coughed and rubbed his mouth on his arm.

“How was it?” Hanamaki asked Oikawa.

“Oh it was a lot of fun, you should take Mattsun to go check it out sometime. I’d really recommend it.” Oikawa said giving Hanamaki a suggestive nudge paired with a wink.

Hanamaki blushed. “Yeah, maybe some other time.” They mumbled, sinking down in the water.

Matsukawa raised an eyebrow, it was obvious that Iwaizumi and Oikawa had done something, and he had a faint guess, but wasn’t going to say anything… yet. Also, Hanamaki’s reaction to Oikawa’s prodding. _Do they like me like that? Or are they just embarrassed that Oikawa would suggest such a thing? Calm down, Issei, it’s probably the second thing._ He needed to change the subject.

“Hey Iwaizumi, I want to check out that cabin, can we do that before we leave?” Matsukawa asked.

“Sure.”

“Iwa-chan! Are you ditching us early?” Oikawa complained.

“I can’t spend all my time with you,” Iwaizumi looked up at the sun, “Besides, it’s getting late and we should be heading back soon.”

“Then you’ll visit tomorrow again, right?” Oikawa phrased it more like a statement than a question.

Iwaizumi ruffled the merboy’s hair, “Don’t worry, we will.”

“Good! Then see ya tomorrow!” Oikawa smiled and splashed away.

Hanamaki lingered for a moment. “Bye Matsukawa, don’t forget the food.” Then they followed Oikawa.

Iwaizumi turned to Matsukawa. “Did you promise them more food?”

“We made a deal and that’s what they wanted, okay?” Matsukawa rolled his eyes. They stepped out of the water and walked over to the cabin. It was small and looked very worn by the weather. The dark wood stood out against the tan sand. They walked up the few squeaky steps on to the narrow porch. Iwaizumi first opened the screen door then pushed open the unlocked wooden door. Matsukawa was greeted with a peculiar sight. In the middle of the main room sat an old mattress on the ground, next to a bathtub filled with water, a coffee table in front of them with a very old radio on it. There was an old couch and chair pushed up against the right wall. The left wall had a bookcase filled with old magazines. Further back in the room was a kitchen that looked like it hadn’t been used in years and a small table with four stacked chairs. There were two doors on the right wall, the first door led to a bedroom. It was crowded with stuff that didn’t belong in a bedroom and the bedframe was missing a mattress. There were a couple of boards and various paddles along with other sea gear. _So this is what Iwaizumi meant by storage…_ The second door led to a mostly empty bathroom, since the tub had been taken out. The toilet didn’t look like it worked.

“So why is the bath tub and mattress in here?” Matsukawa asked after he finished looking around.

“Oikawa says it’s too cramped in the bathroom.” Iwaizumi was sitting on the old couch.

“So you put Oikawa in the tub and you sit on the mattress?”

“Yup.”

“Why, how does Oikawa get in here?”

“I carry him.”

“Is he that light? Why do you bring him in here instead of hanging out in the ocean?”

“He insisted to know what was in here and I can show him things that I can't bring into the ocean.”

Matsukawa walked over to the tub, noticing the hose that ran out the window and how the tub never seemed to overflow or completely drain, despite the hole in the bottom. The hose must be pushing water into the tub at the same rate it was draining. He looked under and there was another hose connected that went through the floor. _That solves that mystery._

“Do you think we could hang out here tomorrow?” He was already thinking of a plan.

“Both merpeople won't fit in the tub, we'd need something for Hanamaki to lay in.”

“I know just the thing. I can bring it tomorrow.” Matsukawa smiled.

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. “Okay? Are you ready to leave then?”

Matsukawa gave one last look around. “Yeah. We can go.” The boys left the cabin and grabbed the backpack, noting the toy was back in its place. On the walk back through the forest Matsukawa decided to pester Iwaizumi.

“So how was that place you went with Oikawa?” He said in a teasing tone.

The shorter boy flinched slightly before answering. “It was pretty cool, more interesting than what he usually shows me.”

“Hmmm, and what did you guys do to make your face so red?”

“That’s none of your business.” Iwaizumi said. Matsukawa could see the tips of his ears turn red.

“What? I was just asking a harmless question. Unless… you two were doing something indecent.”

“Oi, shut up!” Iwaizumi said and walked faster, face burning up.

“It couldn’t have been that bad, right?"

Iwaizumi slowed. “We, uh, we kissed.” He admitted softly.

“Oh? That's it?”

“We kissed a lot.” Iwaizumi said shyly.

Matsukawa was only more curious now. “How was it?”

“He has very sharp teeth.”

That surprised the taller boy. “Did you french kiss a merperson?”

“...yeah.” Iwaizumi said, then began walking again.

“Anything else?”

“What? No! That was it!”

“Okay, okay. I'll stop asking about it then.” Matsukawa said. He remained silent for a little bit , until he thought of something else. “How do merpeople even get off?

  
“Matsukawa, please shut up.” Iwaizumi’s face was beet red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short but here it is. Actually got this one done very quickly, which was surprising. Once again, not sure how long it'll take to write the next chapter, so stay tuned?


	4. Indoor day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matsukawa introduced the merpeople to the wonder of movies.

The next day, Matsukawa was up and packing his own bag for the trip to the beach. He packed an inflatable pool, still in its box, and his laptop. Then he went to work making everyone lunch, yet again. He was able to finish before Iwaizumi arrived and they packed the lunches into the shorter boy’s bag.

At the beach, Matsukawa went and set his bag in the cabin before returning to the others to eat. They each ate their own lunch, Hanamaki was more determined to master using the chopsticks, but in the end Matsukawa had to help them again.

“Hey Matsukawa, what did you bring today?” Iwaizumi asked after they all had finished eating. 

“It’s a surprise for them.” He gestured to the merpeople. “But do you want to help me set up?”

“How long is it going to take to set up?” Hanamaki asked.

“Hopefully not too long, but I’m not sure.” Matsukawa shrugged.

Iwaizumi stood, “Well, let’s get to it then. I’m sure you two can entertain yourselves for a while?”

“No problem, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa said, giving the a-ok sign with his hand. The boys left the merpeople for the cabin.

“What do you need help with?” Iwaizumi asked.

“Well, I brought an inflatable pool and we need to blow it up and fill it with water for Hanamaki.”

Iwaizumi gave a heavy sigh. “Let’s see how this works out then.” They took turns at blowing up the small yellow pool, passing it off as soon as they got light headed. It didn’t take long since it was small, but took a lot of air. To fill it with water, Iwaizumi plugged up the bathtub and moved the hose into the pool. As they waited for it to fill, Matsukawa pulled out his laptop and set it on the coffee table.

“You know there is no connection out here right?”

“Don’t worry, I don’t need connection for what we’re doing.” Matsukawa checked the laptop's battery and the movie file he had downloaded the night before, then closed the laptop. Once the pool was filled, the hose was placed back in the tub and the tub was unplugged. The boys went back outside to get the merpeople.

“Iwa-chan, Mattsun, that took too long!” Oikawa complained.

“Oh shut up and come here. I got to get you inside.” Iwaizumi said waist deep in the water as Oikawa swam up to him. He effortlessly raised Oikawa out of the water, carrying him bridal style. The merboy had one arm wrapped around Iwaizumi’s neck and made a peace sign at the surprised Matsukawa and Hanamaki. “Hurry up.” Iwaizumi said to them, as he carried Oikawa to the cabin, careful not to let the fins drag too much in the sand. 

Matsukawa looked at Hanamaki. “Uh, are you ready?” He asked, walking further into the water.

“Probably as ready as I’ll ever be.” Hanamaki said, slowly swimming up to Matsukawa as Oikawa had done to Iwaizumi. Matsukawa grabbed around the merperson’s back and under their arm. They flinched and Matsukawa released his hold immediately.

Hanamaki blushed. “Sorry, that just tickled a bit.”

“Oh, okay.” The taller boy grabbed them again and hooked his other hand under their tail, careful about the fins. Hanamaki wrapped both of their arms around his neck as soon as he started to lift them out of the water. Matsukawa couldn’t help but notice how cold Hanamaki felt, it was unnaturally cool.  _ Is it because of how deep they live in the ocean?  _ Matsukawa thought before catching sight of how red the merperson’s face was. He tried to not let that distract him from his job. Slowly, he walked across the beach, up the stairs, and carefully through the door.

Hanamaki caught sight of Oikawa in the bathtub and the kiddie pool next to it. “That’s for me, isn’t it?”

“Yup.” Matsukawa answered, lowering the merperson to the pool. The water raised when Hanamaki was set in, curling their tail to fit more comfortably. The water came up over most of their body, but wasn’t quite high enough for the protruding fins. Adding more water would’ve just made the pool overflow.

“Is this okay?” Matsukawa asked.

“It’ll be fine for now, but if we keep doing this I want something better.” Hanamaki grumbled, as they squished the plastic side of the pool.

“Mattsun, what’s the surprise?” Oikawa splashed in his tub, the end of his tail unable to fit and waved in the air uselessly.

“Today, I’m going to show you guys a movie.” Matsukawa said as he walked over to his laptop and opened it.

“Ohhhhh, really?” The merboy said excitedly. Iwaizumi looked surprised.

“What are you going to show them?” The shorter boy asked.

“The Little Mermaid.” Matsukawa said, giving a smug smile as Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. The merpeople just looked confused and intrigued  as he opened up the downloaded file on the laptop. They covered up the windows as much as possible and crowded the water furniture and couch around the small screen as the movie started.

The movie had barely begun when Oikawa started pointing out inaccuracies about it. They ignored him for a while until it was clear he wasn’t going to shut up. Iwaizumi smacked him and he sulked for a bit before becoming caught up in the movie. Hanamaki watched silently but the faces they made, displayed their thoughts quite clearly. It was mostly confusion. They were all quiet until the movie ended.

As soon as the credits started rolling, Oikawa started talking again. “Is that it? Is it over?”

“Mmhmm. What did you think?” Matsukawa paused it where it was in the credits.

“Is the human world really like how it was in the movie?” Hanamaki asked.

“Not anymore, and especially not here.” Iwaizumi said.

“So both the sea kingdom and land kingdom were inaccurate?” Oikawa asked, almost like a whine.

“Seems so.”

“Well there certainly isn’t anyone like Ursula in the sea kingdom, as far as I know. And the creatures don’t talk to us.” Hanamaki stated

Oikawa turned to Hanamaki, splashing in his tub. “But Makki, wouldn’t it be fun to be able to walk on land with legs?”

“Maybe. I wouldn’t give up my voice for it though.” 

“I think Oikawa should.” Iwaizumi interjected jokingly.

“Iwa-chan! Rude. My voice is very nice, I’m sure you’d miss it.”Oikawa pouted.

The shorter boy crossed his arms. “I don’t think I would.” 

“Me neither.” Hanamaki added.

Oikawa turned to Matsukawa. “Mattsun, they are teaming up on me!”

“What makes you think I’m going to save you?” He teased the merboy.

“You all are so mean. If I had legs I’d run away from you all right now.” Oikawa sunk low in the water, pushing more of his tail out.

“You are so dramatic.” Iwaizumi sighed. The merboy stuck his tongue out at him.

“Anyways!” Matsukawa spoke up. “Do you two have any other movies you want to watch?”

Hanamaki shook their head no, but Oikawa perked up. “Oh oh! Iwa-chan, in the magazines!” He pointed to the stacks of old magazines occupying the old bookshelf. Iwaizumi brought some old entertainment magazines over. The merboy started paging through them and pointing out the ones he wanted to see.

“Woah woah woah. Maybe we should make a list?” Matsukawa said as soon as Oikawa had rattled off the tenth movie. He opened a blank note on his laptop.

Soon both merpeople were going through the old magazines, naming movies that they thought looked interesting. Iwaizumi had to slow Oikawa down and make him actually read the description rather than looking at the pictures. They stopped as soon as the list reached fifty movies. Matsukawa knew he was going to have to dig deep for some of them.  _ If my laptop gets a virus, I’m blaming them. _

Hanamaki spoke up soon after. “Do you think we can move back to the ocean, this water is starting to get uncomfortable.”

“Oh yeah, one moment.” Matsukawa closed the laptop. He kneeled next to the pool which seemed to have deflated a bit. It was much more awkward trying to lift Hanamaki out of the pool than it was getting them out of the ocean. By the time Matsukawa was standing with the merperson clinging to him, Iwaizumi already had Oikawa out the door.

“Show off.” The taller boy muttered as he followed behind.

“Wait. How long were we watching that movie, it seems fairly late.” Hanamaki asked, looking at the sky.

“It wasn’t that long of a movie, under two hours. We also spent time talking after.” Matsukawa said, glancing down at Hanamaki. His mistake; the merperson was blushing again and it made him stumble in the sand. He was able to steady himself without his arms but froze to regain balance, Hanamaki practically holding their own body up just by clinging around Matsukawa’s neck. 

He began walking again, slowly and Hanamaki only slightly loosened their hold, striking up conversation again. “It felt like a lot more time passed.”

“It’s always like that, don’t worry too much about it.” They made it to the ocean and Hanamaki sighed happily when lowered back into the water. “We should probably fix up that pool for you then?”

“It would make it much more enjoyable.” The merperson said with a small smile.

“Matsukawa, we should probably hurry up and get home.” Iwaizumi said, walking up to the two, Oikawa beside him like a puppy.

“Okay, should we empty the pool before we leave?”

“Probably.”

“Will you be back tomorrow?” Oikawa asked.

“Actually, I can’t come tomorrow.” Matsukawa said, surprised looks were directed at him. “I have some other thing happening tomorrow, sorry.”

“Does that mean we don’t get lunch from you?” Oikawa whined.

“Oi, you can’t expect that all the time, and we can’t be here everyday. We have a life on land you know.” Iwaizumi gave Oikawa a strong nudge.

“I know, I know.” The merboy said. “His food is just really good.” Hanamaki nodded in agreement.

“I’ll be back the day after, I’ll bring you food then.” Matsukawa assured them.

“Now that that is settled. Let’s go.” Iwaizumi headed back to the cabin.

“Bye, Iwa-chan. Bye, Mattsun.” Oikawa said, splashing away. Hanamaki lingered, putting a hand on Matsukawa’s arm before he left.

“You never told me what you wanted in exchange for answering the questions.”

“Oh shit. I forgot about that… How about bring me a merperson necklace? That’s all I can think of right now.”

Hanamaki nodded. “I can do that. Bye, Matsukawa.”

“Bye, Hanamaki.” They stared at each other for a moment, like there was something more to be said, before Hanamaki turned away first and disappeared under the water. Matsukawa watched the pink tail fade away then turned back towards the beach. 

Iwaizumi was waiting for him. “What did they want?”

“Oh. Just something about a deal we made.”

“The one with the food?”

“Mmhmm.” The boys entered the cabin and carefully picked up the pool, carrying it to the porch and dumping the water onto the beach. “We’re going to have to get another bathtub.” Matsukawa joked. They left the pool outside upside down to dry. Matsukawa made sure to grab his laptop then they left. He was disappointed that he wouldn’t see the merpeople tomorrow, especially since what he was doing wasn’t going to be any fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this chapter! There's going to be something special for the next chapter, so just be prepared!


	5. A Day In The Life Of Hanamaki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanamaki has a rough day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: abusive parents

Hanamaki swam with Oikawa back to the kingdom. They swam deeper and deeper past multiple drop offs, and as it grew darker their barely visible spots began to glow. Oikawa was humming “Kiss The Girl”. 

They weren’t suppose to be going for ‘strolls’ so far away from the underwater city, but the lack of patrols on the land side of the kingdom made it fairly easy to sneak in and out. In the distance, the lights from the city lit the water. The city as a whole looked like it was built in a crater and only the tallest buildings rose past the edge. All of the buildings were tall and clustered around the Great Palace that stood in the center. Shops didn’t just stand on the ground, they were out of almost every opening in the towers, concentrated on the large street that lead up to the palace. Everything was brightly lit. The light made from trapped bioluminescent bacteria set along every building’s corners.

Nearing the city, they talked idly. “Makki, what do you want to do while we wait for them to signal us again?” Oikawa asked.

“Well do you want to help me find something for Matsukawa?”

“Oh? What does he want?”

“He said he wanted a necklace.”

“That should be easy then! Let’s go!” Oikawa sped up and they turned towards the general market place. They browsed through the slightly crowded stalls that sold jewelry and armor and swords. Hanamaki would glance over most of it, and turned down the one Oikawa would hold up.

“Makki! You’re so picky. I’m sure Mattsun would like whatever you give him.” Oikawa complained after they rejected another one.

“But I don’t want to give him whatever.” They said, looking over the garish jewelry disapprovingly. 

Oikawa sighed heavily. “If you want something special why don’t you just make him one yourself?”

The merperson’s eyes lit up. “Oikawa, that’s a great idea,” they said, and pulled Oikawa along with them, away from the market.

The merboy was quiet until he realized where they were going. “Wait, why are we going to my place?”

“Because you have better jewelry we can repurpose.”

“Makki! We are not going to ruin my stuff so you can make your crush a necklace.” Oikawa said defensively.

Hanamaki blushed slightly at the mention of their crush but ignored the comment otherwise. “Please, you barely wear it anyways.”

“Why don’t you use your stuff? I know for a fact, you have way more jewelry than I do.”

“Yeah but mine actually looks good and I wear it.”

“Rude! I wear mine when I have to!”

“Which is what? Every full moon? Come on.”

Oikawa just groaned as Hanamaki pulled him along. They swam towards the Great Palace, but before getting to the front, they went around to a smaller palace which, while just as grand, was built in the middle of the sea garden of glowing plants. They entered the building through the arched gates. The inside was magnificently built with large arched ceilings and big open doorways with gates instead of doors. Due to familiarity, the excessive extravagance was utterly lost on the two of them.

The small staff there rolled their eyes as the two passed, accustomed to their wanderings and general avoidance of royal life. They made a bee-line for Oikawa’s room - that being more of a storage area for treasures that they had found than an actual room. Hanamaki swam over to the large veiny coral that held all of the merboy’s royal jewelry.

“Which ones do you like the least?” They asked, picking at the particular tacky one, questioning Oikawa’s fashion sense.

Oikawa looked over the assorted jewelry and pulled off some, handing them to Hanamaki. “You can use these.”

“You positive?” They looked over the assortment, mentally pulling them apart already.

“Absolutely.”

“Can I work here? Or do you have things to do?”

“You can stay here, that way I have someone to talk to.”

“Thanks, this beats going home.” Hanamaki started pulling the jewelry apart, separating out the different pieces. As they worked, Oikawa rambled on about their recent movie watching experience.

“It’s so crazy, they are like plays but anyone can watch. And it’s so different and flat, like a moving drawing.” Oikawa talked about how interesting it was and wondered aloud how it all worked. Hanamaki hummed, half listening and occasionally voicing their thoughts.

Time passed unnoticed and then Hanamaki held up the final product for Oikawa to see. “I think I’m done.” They said, cutting Oikawa off.

“Oh! It looks very good.” The necklace had dark blackish pearls with small rib bone spikes between them. Opposite of the clasp was a pendant with the city's seal on it. “It’s just as good as the others you make.”

“That’s cause the stores only sell ugly garbage, but they use good materials.”

“You’re so resourceful.” Oikawa praised. 

“I enjoy looking good.” Hanamaki said, sticking their nose up jokingly. They both laughed.

Their laughter was interrupted by a loud, ‘ _ Oikawa _ !’ They both flinched, and Oikawa gave a sheepish smile.

“Duty calls. You know the way out.” He slumped out of the room. Hanamaki lingered, cleaning up a bit of their mess before leaving. They slowly swam through the towering buildings, taking the longest route home. That didn’t stop their parents from yelling at them as soon as they swam through the archway.

“Takahiro! Where have you been? You missed another important meeting! When are you going to start taking your role seriously?” Their parents scolded, cornering them, so they couldn’t run away before they finished chewing their child out. They didn’t give Hanamaki any room to speak either. The accused party can only give ‘ok’s, ‘no’s, and ‘I’m sorry’s as the yelling  about being responsible continued. Hanamaki takes it, fighting the urge to yell back and clutching the new necklace behind their back, knowing it will only add fuel to the fire. When their parents were on the end of their rant, Hanamaki slipped away to their room. 

Safely away, they let out a held breath.  _ Thank the gods they weren’t as bad as usual.  _ Hanamaki’s room was less cluttered than Oikawa’s, almost bare, in fact. Except the veiny coral that held all the jewelry was twice as large and completely covered. They were about to add the new necklace to the coral, but instead put it on and added ear cuffs, rings, bracelets, and even more necklaces that matched slightly. Fully decorated like they prefered, they didn’t want to stay here long.

Going back out proved harder than they had thought. The two parents were relentless; bombarding Hanamaki with loads of questions since they had dressed up to go out. Hanamaki’s patience ran thin and their retorts became snappier and angrier. It wasn’t long before all of them were yelling. Yelling about Hanamaki’s inheriting their title and job. Yelling how Hanamaki didn’t take anything seriously. Yelling about anything and everything Hanamaki did. They were up in each other’s spaces. Hanamaki couldn’t tell who it was that hit them, but as soon as the slap hit, they ran. They tuned out the voices that followed them, and ignored the sting on their cheek.

Hanamaki swam quickly through the streets, taking the most winding and confusing route to loose any possible pursuers. They slowed once they became worn out, taking in where they were and idly swam along the streets.  _ I’m not going to be going back there for a while now. _ They thought. 

Usually after fights, Hanamaki would take long swims to calm their mind. This time they began thinking about Matsukawa and how he’d react to the necklace. It made them remember about how warm Matsukawa had been when he had to carry them. The same kind of warmth they felt when basking in the sun. The thought made them blush and, in turn, caused their cheek to throb.  They winced, stopping and bringing a hand up to their cheek. There was a hint of purple in the water by their face. Quickly checking in the nearest reflective surface, Hanamaki confirmed that they were indeed bleeding.  _ Shit _ . There were four light scratches, seeping purple blood slowly. They would need to cover it so it could heal quicker. It was easy to find healing paste since everyone had some stashed away and didn’t mind giving a little to someone of nobility, if it kept them in good terms. Hanamaki applied it over the cuts.  _ Could’ve been worse. _ They sighed, continuing on their way through the streets.

Hanamaki wandered, humming old songs quietly until a familiar voice called out. “Makki!” Turning around, there was Oikawa, done with whatever he had to do. The merboy paused, frowning at Hanamaki. “Your face.”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” They didn’t meet the other’s gaze.

Oikawa pulled them off the main street to an alley. “It’s not nothing, especially since you always have some bruise or cut from them. Why don’t you do something about them?” Oikawa said, worry obvious in his voice.

“I don’t want to resort to violence like they do.” They said quietly.

The merboy pulled them into a strong hug. “I know.” 

Once he released them, Hanamaki took his hand. “Wanna go on an adventure?” They didn’t want to think about home.

“Sure.” Oikawa smiled and they swam back towards the outskirts of town. Just like before, they snuck out of the kingdom, and swam the usual way to the beach, but veered off to the right.

“We’re going towards the human city?” Oikawa asked as Hanamaki led.

“Aren’t you just as curious about the human stuff?” 

“Well, yeah, but I never went to the city.”

“We won’t get too close.” Hanamaki said leading them upwards to the surface. They both poked their heads up above the water to look at the distant land. It was largely covered in forest but houses poked through the trees until they met up with the city further down. Seeing the city in the night made it look similar to their own underwater city, but shorter and empty.

“How long has it been since we were at the beach?” Hanamaki asked quietly.

“I’m not sure. Maybe around a day? It’s hard to keep track of human time.” Oikawa replied. “How close are you planning on going?”

“Closer than you’d probably dare. Come on.” Hanamaki ducked under the water, and swam towards a small dock of boats, smaller than the ones by the city. Oikawa dragged his hand across the underside of the closest one, watching the docks for movement before breaking the water’s surface. Hanamaki followed suit while Oikawa grabbed one of the side handles and lifted himself to get a better look at the boat and the docks.

Suddenly there were  footsteps and Hanamaki yanked Oikawa down and pulled him under the docks. “Careful! They said in a whisper.

“I was being careful! Also that boat looked nothing like in the movie.” Oikawa said.

Hanamaki rolled their eyes. “Iwaizumi and Matsukawa told us it wasn’t going to be the same, idiot!”

“Still better to see it for myself.” Oikawa huffed.

“Whatever, let’s go check out the bigger boat.” Hanamaki swam off towards the city port.

“Wait! Makki! That’s dangerous! What if we get caught?” Oikawa swam after them.

_ Can’t be worse than home. _ “Come on, Oikawa. Where is your sense of adventure?” Hanamaki teased.

The merboy crossed his arms. “I like being alive, thank you very much.” But he continued to follow Hanamaki anyways. They crept closer and closer, using cover to conceal their faint glow. Eventually they were directly under it, and swam up, surfacing on the side furthest from the city. They marvelled at the size of it. The closest window was several feet above them. 

“I’m going to try and look in.” Hanamaki said, diving back down before Oikawa could stop them. They broke the surface, showering water as they lept. They fell back down fairly ungracefully, making a large splash. That seemed to cause some commotion above, as Oikawa heard faint voices and quickly hid under the water, pulling Hanamaki under the boat.

“They have weird rooms that look like the cabin, but it was so small and I couldn’t see anything else.”

“Fascinating.” Oikawa said sarcastically. “Let’s go, the sky is getting lighter.” Hanamaki nodded and they swam away, following the shore from far away. They talked about the boats, mostly Oikawa loading up with questions for Iwaizumi.

“Wait, are the boys meeting us today?” Hanamaki asked.

“I think so? It should be the day after they said they weren’t going to come.” Oikawa replied, giving another glance back up at the sky. 

“Should we hang around the beach then?”

“Fine with me. Going home would take too long.” 

“What about your jewelry? Don’t you want to take it off?”

“Nah. I don’t want to risk losing it.” They swam towards the beach, taking their time as the sky slowly turned brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of a special chapter since it's from Hanamaki's point of view. I might include more in the future, depending on how things go.  
> Hope you enjoy~


	6. Gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matsukawa receives a gift, gives a gift, and learns just how well Hanamaki can sing.

Matsukawa sleepily walked with Iwaizumi to the beach in the morning and found that the merpeople were already waiting for them. They were surprised to see Hanamaki wearing all of the jewelry too. As the boys waded into the water, they exchanged greetings. Matsukawa blushed slightly as he complimented Hanamaki.

“You look... very good. With the jewelry, I mean,” he said, only slightly staring. Then his eyes stopped on the merperson’s cheek. There was some weird pasty stuff on it, that almost blended into their skin. “You got something. Right there,” Matsukawa said, pointing at his own cheek to indicate where.

The merperson brought their hand up to their cheek.  _ They even have matching rings! _ Matsukawa thought.

“Oh. That’s just healing paste,” they said, giving a small smile.

Matsukawa’s eyebrows furrowed. “Did you get hurt?” 

“It’s nothing. Just a few scratches. It shouldn’t take too long to heal.” That didn’t settle Matsukawa’s worry. He inched closer, eyeing the paste. He couldn’t tell how bad it was with the paste over the injury, and that was what worried him.

“How did it happen?” He prodded.

Hanamaki looked away. “I just ran into a bit of trouble. I’m perfectly fine though,” they half lied, not wanting to burden Matsukawa with their family situation.

“How long will it take to heal?” 

“A week or so. The paste should help it go faster.”

“Ah, that’s good.” Neither of them knew what to say next. Hanamaki didn’t seem like they wanted to talk about it anymore, so Matsukawa chewed on his lip to stop himself from asking anymore questions. Then Oikawa elbowed Hanamaki.

“Don’t forget the necklace,” he half whispered.

“Oh right.” Hanamaki carefully pulled off one of the necklaces they were wearing, looking relieved that the topic had changed. “I made this for you,” they said, a blush creeping its way onto their face. Matsukawa took the necklace, admiring it before slipping it over his head.

“Holy shit. I know I said to bring me one, but I didn’t think you were going to make one.... Does it look good on me?” His own blush spread across his face as well.

Oikawa answered for his friend. “Makki made it, so of course you look good.”

Matsukawa ran his fingers over the pendant at the end. “What’s the symbol mean?” 

Oikawa answered again. “It’s our city’s seal, which, in my opinion, is the best looking seal.” Matsukawa couldn’t be the judge of that, but the symbol was a very pretty and ornate depiction of a coral castle.  _ They made this… for me. _ That thought had him blushing even more.

“Thank you,” he said, smiling at Hanamaki, who was equally as red.

“Oi, you two red faced idiots, let's go swimming,” Iwaizumi said, appearing with a paddle board under his arm,and throwing some goggles to Matsukawa. The two looked away embarrassed, which cause Oikawa to laugh.  _ When did he get the board? _ Matsukawa thought. He had not been paying attention and had completely missed Iwaizumi leaving to get the board. 

The group swam out away from the beach, Iwaizumi directing the board. Once they stopped, Matsukawa rested against the paddle board, while Iwaizumi jumped into the water. Hanamaki popped up beside him, jewelry glittering in the sunlight.

“Let’s go,” they said, disappearing underwater. Matsukawa looked back at where Iwaizumi dove in. The boy came up for air and gave a thumbs up, meaning he had the paddle board anchored, so it wouldn’t float away. Then, after slipping on his goggles, he dove down to follow Hanamaki. They were waiting for him and seeing them fully without any water distortion still took his breath away. Now with the extra decorations, Hanamaki looked even more beautiful as the jewelry floated slightly off of their body. They waited for Matsukawa to reach them before leading him around the reef. It was very similar to the first time they explored the reef. Though, Matsukawa would be lying if he said he was looking at the sea life. He was more enamored with Hanamaki swimming gracefully in front of him.

Hanamaki looked back at him and he felt a blush wash over his cheeks, he swam up to the surface to escape. He took deep breaths of the salty air.

“You okay?” Hanamaki appeared beside him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just held my breath for too long, that’s all.” Matsukawa wasn’t going to admit he was more breathless from the merperson.

“It’s not as fun when you guys have to keep coming up for air.” They swam in circles idly.

“There’s not much we can do about that. Sorry for being human,” he said smiling.

Hanamaki crossed their arms on the opposite side of the board. “But there is a way, right?”

“If we had scuba gear, but it’s not like we can just go buy some.”

“What’s scuba gear?”

“Um. Like a special suit and mask with an oxygen tank that allows humans to breath underwater. It’s mostly used to explore deep in the ocean, but it can only go for so long.”

“I don’t think there’s very much to see underwater. It’s mostly the same stuff over and over again.” Hanamaki sighed.

“Nonsense. I feel like there’s a ton of stuff I’ve never seen before. And I got to see it because of you, so I want you to show me as much as possible,” Matsukawa said, smiling broadly.

Hanamaki rested their chin on their arms. “To do that, you’d have to be a merperson. Your human body wouldn’t be able to survive the more interesting places.”

“There’s nothing interesting where humans can go?” Matsukawa seemed doubtful of that.

“Unless you like coral reefs and half submerged caves. The rest is far deeper, though not as deep as the city.”

“If I had scuba gear would I be able to visit the city?” Matsukawa asked excitedly, wanting to see where the merpeople lived.

Hanamaki looked horrified. “Oh gods no. I could never take you there. They’d eat you alive as soon as you showed up.”

“You eat humans? I thought you only ate other sea life?”

“Rarely. Merpeople have a great dislike for humans.”

“Oh. Because of water pollution.”

“Pretty much.”

“Then why do you hang out with Iwaizumi and me? Shouldn’t you hate us for being part of the species that’s ruining your ecosystem?”

“I was suspicious at first, but I trusted Oikawa. You guys aren’t so bad. You’re fun to hang out with.” Hanamaki trailed off at the end, avoiding eye contact as a blush creeped onto their face.

“That’s good. I really like hanging out with you too.” Matsukawa smiled. Iwaizumi popped up beside him suddenly, causing him to jump. He could hear Oikawa snickering as the merboy broke the surface as well.

“Are you two already done for the day?” Iwaizumi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We were just taking a break. Not everyone is as athletic as you, Iwaizumi,” Matsukawa replied.

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “It looks to be past noon anyways. How about we have lunch?” They all agreed.

They swam back to the shore. The boys dried off and retrieved the lunches. As always, the merpeople had their own. Oikawa and Iwaizumi ate quickly and finished before the other two. Instead of waiting around as they normally did, they went back into the ocean to play. Hanamaki was slowly getting better at using chopsticks, and refused to have Matsukawa help them, until they dropped a large bite in the water. Matsukawa happily helped them finish their meal.

“Wait here, I got a surprise for you and Oikawa,” he said when they finished eating. Hanamaki nodded and Matsukawa went back to the backpack to pull out a different kind of box. When he returned, Oikawa and Iwaizumi were waiting as well.

“What’s in the box, Mattsun?” Oikawa asked excitedly.

“I felt bad for not being able to visit yesterday, so I bought these pastries for you two. To make up for it.” Matsukawa opened the box to show a vast assortment of small bite sized pastries. The merpeople looked at food in awe.

“I’ve never seen this type of food before,” Oikawa said, shooting a pointed look at Iwaizumi.

“Hey, don’t look at me. This stuff doesn’t taste as good if it gets wet and you’re a clutz,” Iwaizumi said defensively.

Oikawa ignored the insult and turned back to Matsukawa. “Should we use chopsticks to eat it then?”

“Oh. Uh, I didn’t think about that. But it would be hard to eat with chopsticks. I just assumed you’d eat it with your hands…” He trailed off.

“Looks like you’re going to have to feed those to us then,” Oikawa said, looking more at Iwaizumi than Matsukawa.

“Fine. Which one do you want first?” Iwaizumi said pointing at each one in turn.

“That one!” Oikawa said when Iwaizumi pointed to the one he wanted. Iwaizumi picked it up carefully. Oikawa opened his mouth, waiting. Iwaizumi fed it to him and Matsukawa swore he saw stars in Oikawa’s eyes. “Give me another one!” Oikawa pestered after swallowing.

“Calm down, let Hanamaki has one too.” They all looked at the merperson.

“Oh, just give me whatever,” they said. Matsukawa picked up one and placed it in the merperson’s mouth. They chewed much slower, letting out a surprised hum. “That is very good,” they said. The merpeople took turns choosing which pastries they wanted until the box was empty.  _ I hope it’s not bad that they ate all that sugar.  _ Matsukawa thought afterwards. Hanamaki had taken a liking to the creampuffs while Oikawa prefered the milk bread rolls. Both of them agreed they liked the pastries the most out of all the human food they had.

“Can’t you make pastries?” Iwaizumi asked Matsukawa.

“It’s not something I do often, but I can. I don’t think what I would make would be as good as these,” Matsukawa admitted. He knew he was no pastry chef, but seeing how the merpeople reacted to the sweets made him want to try.

Iwaizumi gave him a friendly hit on the back. “You’re a great cook. I’m sure whatever you make will turn out delicious.” The taller boy smiled and he went to put the empty box by the bag.

“Hey, Mattsun, do you have a movie for us to watch today?” Oikawa asked upon his return.

“Sorry, I didn’t have time to get another one downloaded. But I’m sure Hanamaki would want us to fix their pool before we watch anymore movies. Right?” He looked at the merperson.

Hanamaki nodded. “That would be preferable.”

“Then what are we supposed to do now?” Oikawa complained, drawing out the ‘now’.

“What are some things merpeople do for fun?” Matsukawa asked.

The merpeople looked at each other then back at Matsukawa. “Mostly competitive physical activities,” Oikawa said.

“And singing and storytelling.” Added Hanamaki before Oikawa could stop them.

“So you sing? Can you enchant humans to fall in love with you that way?” Matsukawa said jokingly.

Iwaizumi laughed. “Oikawa certainly can’t.” The merboy splashed water at him.

“Sorry that I can’t sing,” he pouted, turning and sulking away from them.

“He sings fine, he’s just mad that I can sing better than him,” the shorter boy explained, before following the merboy, hoping to cheer him back up. 

Matsukawa turned to Hanamaki. “What about you?”

The merperson smiled. “I’m one of the best singers in the city. Oikawa never stood a chance against me.” Matsukawa laughed.

“Would you mind singing something for me then?” he asked, mostly curious about the old wifes tale.

Hanamaki thought for a moment. “I could, but I don’t think you’d be able to understand it. All of our songs are in an older language.”

“I could still enjoy it, even if I don’t understand it,” Matsukawa argued.

“Then what kind of song do you want to hear?” 

“Surprise me?”

They spent a moment deciding on a song. Then they took a deep breath, closed their eyes, and started singing. It was beautiful. Their voice smooth and glided over each word. And before he knew it, the song was over. Hanamaki was looking at him, expecting some sort of comment.

“Wow,” was all he could say. It was clear there really wasn’t anything all that magical about it, but he was still blown away by how amazing Hanamaki was. Magic or not, he was enchanted by their voice. 

“Makki. Why did you sing that lullaby? There are much better songs that would show off your voice more,” Oikawa said, having stopped sulking as soon as the other merperson had started singing.

Hanamaki blushed. “I didn’t want it to be too long, and I like singing that one.”

“But you should show off since you have such a nice voice,” the merboy said.

“Do you think you could sing another song?” Matsukawa timidly asked. If that was only a lullaby, he wanted to hear a full song.

“Oh! Oh! Sing the Queen's Melody!” Oikawa said excitedly.

“Are you sure?” Hanamaki asked “That one is kinda…” They trailed off.

“Please?” Oikawa begged, not ending the word until the other started talking.

“... Okay then.” Hanamaki started singing again. This song was very different than the lullaby. It started off very slow, and sounded mournful.  _ Oikawa requested a song like this? _ Matsukawa thought. Even though he couldn’t understand the words, he could feel the emotions in the song. The sorrow of the song reverberated in him, and he could feel his eyes beginning to tear up. He glanced at the other two and saw they were in similar states. 

“Are you guys okay?” Hanamaki asked when they finished, giving them all a very concerned look.

“Sorry, just got some salt water in my eyes,” Matsukawa said rubbing his face.

“Oh, Makki! That was so moving! You are really the best at singing,” Oikawa said, throwing himself at the merperson, in tears.

“Thank you?” They said, patting Oikawa’s head as the merboy sobbed loudly.

“What’s that song about anyways?” Iwaizumi asked, seeming to have already recovered from crying.

“Well, uh. It’s an old war story during some ancient kingdom’s last fight that they lost and the queen's last stand to defend her throne failed.”

“Holy shit. You have history like that? That sounds like it's out of a medieval novel or something,” Matsukawa said.

“Humans have similar stories?” the merperson asked, surprised.

“Not exactly, but there are stories of kings and queens defending castles. We’ve advanced through that though,” Iwaizumi explained.

Hanamaki nodded their understanding as they peeled Oikawa off of them. 

“How about a happy song to lift the mood? Iwaizumi?” Matsukawa said, turning to his friend.

“Why do I have to sing?” he asked.

“Because Hanamaki already sang two songs. Why don’t you sing one?” 

“What about you? You haven’t sang anything either.”

“But you’re a better singer.”

“No.”

“Party pooper,” Matsukawa jokingly pouted. He really just wanted to hear Iwaizumi sing since he said he was better than Oikawa. Either Oikawa was pretty bad or Iwaizumi was very good, but he’d have to hear it to believe it. He didn’t expect Iwaizumi to be shy about it.

“It’s getting late anyways. We should head back,” Iwaizumi said.

“Iwa-chan! It’s still too early for you to leave yet!” Oikawa complained as he dramatically threw himself against Iwaizumi.

“We still can’t spend all day here, Oikawa. There are things we have to do at home too,” he retorted. Oikawa just pouted.

Matsukawa nodded. “We need to get supplies to fix Hanamaki’s pool.”

Even though Oikawa understood, he kept pouting. “You never have sleepovers with me anymore, Iwa-chan,” he added.

“You had sleepovers?” Matsukawa asked, surprised.

“More like all-nighters, since Oikawa barely sleeps,” Iwaizumi complained, then turned back to Oikawa. “I promise we will have one soon. Just be patient.” 

Oikawa lit up. “Good! I can’t wait.” Iwaizumi just rolled his eye. 

“Let’s go, Matsukawa,” he said and the boys said goodbye to the merpeople. Matsukawa told Hanamaki to not get hurt anymore before they parted. The boys dried off and walked home, deciding who was going to bring what supplies to fix up the kiddie pool for Hanamaki. Then they parted ways to go home. Matsukawa realized that the lullaby Hanamaki had sung was stuck in his head, and he hummed it the rest of the way home, rubbing the pendant on the necklace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter actually took way longer than expected to finish. I honestly don't know why I struggled to write it. BUT I got it done. And that is what's important!  
> Unfortunately, school is going to be starting back up soon and if I can't get the next chapter up before it starts then it's going to take a while. I'll have less time to write. I won't be giving up on this fic tho! Cause it's fun to write!


	7. Passing Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lazy days of hanging out.

In the morning, Iwaizumi and Matsukawa gathered the short list of supplies, downloaded more movies, and prepared that day's lunch. Preparing food for the four of them was now a regular thing for Matsukawa. He used all of the leftovers from the night before and throw in extra to finish them up. It wasn’t a chore for him. He knew the merpeople would enjoy eating it and that made him want to make them good food. Unbeknownst to him, he would hum while he cooked. Iwaizumi had told him, which only made him embarrassed, because he knew it was some random pop song. His embarrassment was forgotten as they headed towards the beach.

They met the merpeople at noon, and ate together. Just as expected, the merpeople enjoyed the food. Seeing their reactions always brought a smile to the tall boys face. While eating, Matsukawa first noticed Hanamaki’s lack of jewelry, and was only slightly disappointed at its disappearance. Secondly, he noticed was the fresh dab of paste on Hanamaki’s cheek. Silently, he hoped it was healing as fast as they were improving with using chopsticks. As much as he liked helping the merperson out with chopsticks, he found it starting to be a danger to his heart the more he thought about it.

After lunch, the boys fixed up Hanamaki’s pool with a makeshift drain and hosed in fresh ocean water. Carrying the merperson into the cabin was just as awkward as ever. Matsukawa tried to carry them delicately, but seeing Iwaizumi manhandle Oikawa made him question how delicate he actually needed to be. 

“Iwaizumi, you shouldn’t be so rough with a prince,” Matsukawa teased. 

“You worry about your own baggage,” was his response. Both him and Hanamaki chuckled at Oikawa’s offended remarks. The trip across the beach proved to be a success with no mishaps other than both of them being slightly embarrassed. Matsukawa actually really liked carrying Hanamaki around, even if the merperson was definitely heavier than one would expect, because it was the closest he could be to them without him feeling intrusive. After depositing Hanamaki in the pool, the merperson seemed very pleased with the new additions.

“It’s still cramped in here,” they complained.

“Anything bigger would be a pain to carry down here,” Iwaizumi retorted. Hanamaki grumbled and messed with the hose. They held it over their shoulder so that the water would run down their back, giving out a happy sigh. Matsukawa thought it was incredibly cute.

The group spent all afternoon watching the movies, three total, since that was all the time Matsukawa had time to download. After the third movie’s credits rolled, they talked until the sky turned red. They probably would have talked into the night if Iwaizumi hadn’t mentioned the time. The shorter boy always seemed to keep them from lingering. The boys took the merpeople back to the ocean, where they said their goodbyes. If Iwaizumi wasn’t there, Matsukawa would guess that all of them would take forever leaving. They promised to meet the next day, then went home.

 

The following days continued in a similar fashion. Matsukawa would prepare movies and food in the morning. They would all eat lunch together, then watch the movies or swim around near the beach. Matsukawa noticed that Hanamaki stopped putting paste on the scratches as the faint purple marks healed slowly. Oikawa and Iwaizumi would go off together for unpredictable amounts of time, not that the other two minded, but they made sure to tease them as soon as they reappeared. As soon as the sky started to change colors they separated and returned home, which was annoying but Matsukawa knew he’d see them the next day.

Matsukawa enjoyed this simple routine, and that he had been able to see Hanamaki almost everyday for the past week. It was easy to be with the merperson, now that they were over most of the initial awkwardness of becoming acquainted. They would talk. They would joke. They would laze around. He couldn’t deny that the merperson still had him blushing at every slight compliment and caught stare, but he felt he could act more himself. But, as a teenager who definitely had a crush on a merperson, he couldn’t ignore the obvious obstacles. As much as he bugged Iwaizumi about the his own romance, the shorter boy would just smirk and tell him to figure it out himself. That left him without the slightest idea how to approach the very cute merperson. A chance appeared though.

It was near the end of that week when Oikawa brought it up again. “Why don’t we all have a sleepover?”

“No,” Iwaizumi replied immediately.

“You’re no fun. I don’t see why we couldn’t,” Matsukawa said. “What do you think?” He turned to Hanamaki.

They shrugged. “It’s fine with me.”

“You’re outvoted, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said happily.

“You all are responsible if I don’t get a wink of sleep.”

“I think we can handle that,” Hanamaki said, the other two nodding along.

“It can’t be that bad,” Matsukawa said, drawing out the ‘a’ in ‘that’. He was more excited that he could spend more time with Hanamaki.

“You’ll see,” Iwaizumi replied. “But we will need sleeping bags and food. Also, we’ll have a whole lot more time, is there anything you all would want to do... At night?”

They ended up with an impressively long list.  _ A bit too long… Will we even have time to do all of these things? The merpeople look so excited though. _ Matsukawa thought, keeping his doubts to himself. 

After Iwaizumi helped organize everything, he figured him and Matsukawa should head back early. Oikawa whined, as always, but was too excited to pout for long. Matsukawa lingered around Hanamaki.

“Are you excited?” He asked the merperson.

They nodded. “I’ve never done something like this. Probably because merpeople have different sleeping habits, but this seems like a very human thing to do.”

“I suppose it is. But as a human, we’d have sleepovers all the time, especially with close friends. Although, Iwaizumi doesn’t seem to do sleepovers with Oikawa. I’d think he’d want to do them even more,” Matsukawa wondered aloud.

“Oikawa probably keeps him up all night,” Hanamaki snorted. “Maybe he’s learned from experience?” They both chuckled.

“Oi, you going to stand there all day?” Iwaizumi yelled back at Matsukawa from the beach.

“I’m coming!” Matsukawa yelled, but added under his breath, “don’t worry, mom” Hanamaki laughed. “So, see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” Hanamaki gave a small wave and then jump backwards, diving into the water. Matsukawa swore they were showing off. He didn’t mind at all. Then he turned to the beach and caught up with the shorter boy.

“You take an awfully long time to say goodbye. You’ll see them tomorrow, you know,” Iwaizumi complained. 

“I know. I just rather be around them,” Matsukawa said softly. “You must know how that feels, right? What about you and Oikawa?”

Iwaizumi was silent for a moment. “Yeah. I remember feeling like that. But I’ve spent most of my life hanging out with Oikawa. Not being around each other for a while isn’t going to kill you. And as much as I like Oikawa, I also like my sleep.”

“That’s a fair point.”

“Oh, before we split, don’t mention the beach we are on to your mom. I want it to stay hidden.”

“Gotcha. You can trust me not to ruin our little safe haven.”

“Good. See ya tomorrow. Don’t forget the food.”

“I know. I know. Later.” Matsukawa walked off towards his house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can give no promises as to my update schedule, but I bet you all know what the next chapter will be about.  
> Stay tuned?


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